India came as favourites for the Test series after beating England one-nil in India in the 1981-82 series. England were also now without fifteen of their potential Test players after the TCCB's decision to ban them from Test cricket for three years because they participated in a South African Breweries-sponsored tour of that country.The 1982 tour could not have taken place had the English counties not agreed to omit these players from the side matches.

The Indian management objected to David Constant umpiring their matches and the TCCB had to withdraw him from their panel of Test umpires. India had lost confidence in him after a match against Yorkshire and a Prudential one-day international but the TCCB said its decision implied no criticism of his work.Constant was given the fee he would have received at Lord’s. The previous winter England had objected to some Indian umpires.

It was the summer of the all-rounder: Kapil Dev, Ian Botham and Imran Khan of Pakistan later in the season were arguably their countries’ greatest all-rounders.

The season saw the successful introduction of the minimum 96 overs per day in Test matches, which countered the laboured over rates of recent years.

After a physical conditioning camp in Bangalore between 13 and 23 April, the team assembled in Bombay.They flew from Santa Cruz Airport to Heathrow Airport, and were taken by coach to their London hotel